Mercedes expects to fix Hamilton's car in time for qualifying

Mercedes believes it can get Lewis Hamilton’s car repaired in time for qualifying, following his high-speed crash in final practice for the Belgian Grand Prix.

The world champion lost control of his car on the kerbs at the Fagnes chicanes just after the halfway point of FP3 and speared into the tyre barriers – badly smashing up the left-front side of the car.

Although the impact could have been enough to damage the chassis, which would force Hamilton to miss qualifying, the initial indications from Mercedes are that his monocoque is intact.

A team spokesman said: “We will be replacing both front corners (suspension and wheel assemblies), nose, barge boards and floor.

“Barring unexpected nasty surprises, we believe we can complete all of the work in time for the start of qualifying.”

Hamilton’s crash comes on a weekend where rival Ferrari appears to have a performance edge on single lap pace, even though its long run form has not looked as impressive.